Rolls-Royce awarded $1.1bn engine deal

The British engineering giant will supply engines for 25 Boeing 787
Dreamliners for All Nippon Airways, while Airbus has received an order for
30 A320neos from the Japanese airline

The Trent 1000 engines, built by Rolls in Derby, UK and Singapore, will be used to power 25 Dreamliner aircrafts, which will be added to Japanese airline’s fleet of 55 already in service.Photo: Bloomberg News

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a $1.1bn (£662m) deal from All Nippon Airways (ANA) to provide engines for the the troubled Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The Trent 1000 engines, built by Rolls in Derby, UK and Singapore, will be used to power 25 Dreamliner aircrafts, which will be added to Japanese airline’s fleet of 55 already in service.

ANA was the launch customer for Boeing’s flagship aircraft and took delivery of the first planes in September 2011, more than three years behind schedule.

Since delivery, the Dreamliner has suffered several problems, including in January 2013 when an ANA 787 flight was forced to make an emergency landing after smoke was reportedly seen inside the cockpit, which led to the grounding of ANA’s entire fleet of Dreamliners.

Despite the technical issues, Hiroyuki Ito, senior executive vice president at ANA, said: “[The Trent 1000] has served us very well through our entry into service and we have received excellent customer support from Rolls-Royce.”

In a further boost for British manufacturing, Airbus yesterday announced it had received an order from ANA for 30 new generation A320neos, which have more fuel-efficient engines.

Airbus, which makes the wings for the planes in Broughton, Wales, has continued to make in roads into the Japanese market, which has traditionally been dominated by Boeing.

Stephane Ginoux, president of Airbus Japan, said, “We are extremely happy to give a new start to our already prosperous relationship with ANA and are delighted to welcome them as our first Neo customer in Japan.